Photo: DanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0Webster’s library is a branch of Sumter County Library System, which lends less per resident than 68% of systems its size
Webster’s library is the E.C. Rowell Public Library, a branch of Sumter County Library System, which serves 148,967 people and lent 340K items last year.
The short version on Webster’s library
Few programs for a library this size
The Sumter County Library System offered 410 programs last year, 2.8 per 1,000 residents against a typical 9. Kids & programs ↓
Programs lean toward adults
60% of the 410 programs last year were for adults: classes, talks, clubs and events. 116 were for children. Kids & programs ↓
This summary is written from the numbers on this page. Numbers are the library’s own report to the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024; Webster’s library is a branch of Sumter County Library System, so they cover the whole system (148,967 people), not just the Webster branch.
What’s behind Webster’s civic life grade
Webster isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more.
Civic life counts registered nonprofits, library visits and online volunteering groups, so it can miss civic life that runs through congregations, mutual aid or neighbors looking out for each other.
Library visits: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024. Nonprofits: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, October 2026. Volunteering: Social Capital Atlas (Opportunity Insights), from data by Meta Platforms, Inc.; Chetty et al., Nature 2022. How TownRatings grades civic life →
Below most similar-size libraries on all 6 measures
Per resident, against libraries serving 100,000+ people across the U.S.
Sumter County Library System serves 148,967 people, so it’s measured against U.S. libraries serving 100,000+.
Every hour the doors are open, about 26 items go out
Fiscal year 2024, for the whole Sumter County Library System system. The library’s own count.
Books and media off the shelf
340K print loans last year. The library didn’t report its e-book and e-audiobook loans.
The survey has no count of children’s loans for Webster’s library in 2024, so there’s no split between adults’ and kids’ borrowing.
About 2 kids’ programs a week
Story times, clubs, classes and events, across the whole system, by who they’re for.
Programs last year by age group
story times and programs a week for ages 0–5, on average.
Find it
E.C. Rowell Public Library, 2810 C-478a, Webster.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average. Check the library’s own site for today’s hours.
For every $1 it spends, the library lends about $1.76 worth
Set what you’d borrow in a month. It starts at what the average Webster cardholder borrows.
Typical for a library this size: $36. Operating budget $3.4M.
Last year the library lent and hosted about $6M worth of books, e-books, programs and Wi-Fi on a $3.4M budget.
Late fines apply to some overdue items.
Retail prices are typical, rounded down: a new book $17, a kids’ book $12, an e-book or e-audiobook $15, a movie rental $4, a class or program $10, a computer or Wi-Fi session $3. The average cardholder’s month = the library’s yearly loans, attendance and Wi-Fi sessions ÷ its 57,835 cardholders ÷ 12.
What this data can and can’t tell you
From the Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024.
- Digital loans not reported. The library didn’t report e-book loans, so borrowing here is print only.
- System-wide. E.C. Rowell Public Library is one branch of Sumter County Library System, so the yearly numbers cover every branch and all 148,967 people it serves.
Hours are the survey’s yearly average; libraries are compared with others serving about as many people. How TownRatings uses library figures →
Questions about the library and civic life in Webster
Does Webster have a public library?
Yes: E.C. Rowell Public Library, 2810 C-478a, is a branch of Sumter County Library System, which serves 148,967 people. The branch is open about 47 hours a week, averaged over the year.
Is Sumter County Library System fine-free?
It charges late fines on some overdue items (the library’s 2024 survey report).
How busy is Webster’s library?
It logged 1.7 visits and lent 2.3 print items per resident in 2024, against a typical 2.1 visits for libraries serving 100,000+ people.
What is Webster’s civic life grade?
Webster isn’t graded on civic life: TownRatings grades towns of 1,000 residents or more. How it works.
Book talk
Reading, story times and the library in Webster.
Libraries: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Public Libraries Survey, fiscal year 2024. Each library reports its own numbers. Distances are straight-line from the town center. “What your card is worth” uses typical retail prices and is an estimate, not an official figure.